Vampire Heart
by Liquid Butterfly
Summary: A foolish ghost shalt fall upon the dark chamber, and awake the almighty bloodthirsty son of the devil. Count Dracula has returned. His targets? Danny and Vlad... A clash of life and death, love and hate. NOTE: no longer updating, sorry, lost interest
1. The Awakening

Danny Phantom – Vampire heart

Chapter one: Awakening

Deep within the deep and dark realm known as the ghost zone, a lonely ghost flew. He wanted to be evil, he wanted to be a super villain, but he couldn't as no one would take him serious – not even in the human world. As he flew on, he fell upon a huge, stone built castle with creepy gargoyles and high, gothic turrets. The huge, old-fashioned door had a crack in the corner, one just the right size for him to squeeze through. He knew he shouldn't go in, but curiosity got the better of him. The house was lit by candles that seemed to never go down and there was a cold, eerie feel about the place. The castle was the sort of thing that could be expected on a horror movie - he could imagine the portraits on the wall having eyes that followed his every move; the floorboards creaked; a dull sheet of dust lay think upon everything. The ghost soon tired of exploring. Old bedrooms containing ghosts of forgotten memories, libraries containing spell books so old that the master of time wouldn't know about them, flickering lights – there's only so much that one could hope to find in an old, seemably dead house that time simply left behind. At the end of a long corridor was a door with strange symbols written all over it. He slowly turned the handle and opened it, revealing a church-like room with candles and a red carpet, he stepped in and the door slammed shut behind him. Spinning round he grasped the handle, but it was no use – it wouldn't budge. He tried to phase through it with his ghost powers, but couldn't. Turning around to look for an escape, he couldn't help but notice the coffin in the centre of the room. Slowly moving closer, he noticed that there were the same symbols on the coffin's surface as those on the door. There was only a small part of the ancient writing he could understand. 'This mark of death shalt forever contain the darkest creature to ever walk upon this sacred realm.' Being the stupid ghost he was, his first thoughts were to open it, but of course he failed. But he wasn't about to stop there, oh no. Using his unique ghost powers, he managed to get the lid to shudder. "Come…on…" He whispered to himself. "YES!" he yelled in joy as the lid flew off the coffin, but his happiness soon turned to fear when the creature crawled out and stood before him.

"I am the box ghost! FEAR ME! Who are you?" He yelled, trying to act tough.

"I… am free! Allow me to introduce myself…"

Danny Fenton stared daggers at the man sitting across from him at the dining table. "Might I say, Maddie, this was a delicious meal! I must thank you again for inviting me to Daniel's birthday party!" Vlad Masters said smarmily, returning an evil grin at the boy. This was by far the worst birthday he'd had in years. He'd been given 'birthday bumps' by Dash Baxter and the other popular kids. He'd almost been killed by Skulker during the movie that he and his friends went to as a birthday celebration, his parents had given him an anti-ghost gift that if he touched would probably kill him, and to top it all off his arch enemy was dining with his family. Life was great.

"You alright honey? You haven't spoken since Vlad arrived…" His mother said in a concerned tone.

"I'm Fine. Can I be excused?" He interrupted, getting out of his seat.

"But Danny we haven't even…" It was too late; he had already got up and left. The woman gazed at the ghost-designed cake she was about to put candles on and sighed. What was wrong with her son lately? He wasn't eating much, he isolated himself from the ones who loved him most, he even seemed miserable on his special day. She had thought of it as stress from school, teenage hormones. But it was something more, something deeper; he was hiding something from her.

"Maybe I should go and talk to him…" she nervously suggested heading for the door.

"No Maddie, my dear; I think I should talk to him, after all it seems to be me he has issues with." Vlad insisted.

"I'm not so sure that's a good…"

"Marvellous! I'll be back soon!" He interrupted, rushing towards Danny's room before anyone could object.

"Half-human, half-ghost, you say?! That's impossible! If I understand correctly, he is the protector of those pathetic mortals?"

The creature from the coffin asked, or rather demanded an answer from the pathetic ghost before him.

"Yeah, Danny Phantom, he's known by the ghost zone as a 'halfa'…"

"Ghost zone? My realm has become a place for senseless spirits to reside?! Oh things just keep getting better and better. It seems this world has gone dramatically down hill since I was last here… although I am rather curious about this Danny Phantom... I shall now go to the human world!"

"What about me?"

"Are you not but a pathetic, weak and unintelligent ghost? I have no desire for you to remain in my presence."

With that the dark creature left the box ghost alone and unwanted.

Vlad didn't bother knocking, walking straight into Danny's room. It wasn't really any different from any other teenage boy's bedroom; a few band posters on the walls, a bed, school work scattered all over the place, and the boy himself, even though he was the one thing out that was truly of place; didn't really appear much different to any other boy his age. He sat lazily leaning back on his computer chair, legs resting on his desk with his back to Vlad with a cell phone held next to his ear.

"I know Sam, but sometimes I wonder why I even bother…." Sam's reply could faintly be heard, but it was impossible to understand what she was saying to anyone other than the person holding the receiver.

"I'm not the hero you seem to think I am, almost every time I've saved people like Dash's life, I have thought about it. And I still do, maybe I shouldn't bother saving people like him…" He replied in an angered tone, awaiting the girl's reply.

"Are you kidding? The whole town practically hates me." His statement was followed by a pause before Sam's response; although it sounded louder and let's say less soothing than before.

"You know what Sam? Screw the world, screw Amity Park, and screw you!" He yelled, hanging up and almost smashing the cell phone down on the desk. The boy stood up, knocking over his chair and walked towards the window and, after transforming into his alter-ego Danny Phantom, flew through the window and out into the night.

'_Don't follow him. Do not follow him. DON'T FOLLOW HIM!'_ Vlad though to himself, but unfortunately curiosity got the better of him; a rash decision that he would soon regret.

Danny had sensed someone following him a long time ago. It didn't really matter as he wasn't headed anywhere, he just felt like flying to relieve stress. "I know you're following me, either show yourself or get lost!" He yelled, turning around half expecting to see a ghost behind him, but didn't. "I am so not in the mood for this…" he muttered to himself as he turned away. He twirled around church turrets and swooped under bridges, flying both high and low, fast and slow. It was fun; the feeling of wind brushing against his face and through his hair, the feeling of being weightless and soaring through the air. However, all pleasure left when he reached the city centre. Usually it was a busy place even in the evening, swarming with people. Elderly couples happily wondering around hand in hand; boys flirting with girls that are out of their league; and angry parents hustling their children and pushing prams. Instead he was greeted by a scene of ghoulish slaughter. Bodies were thrown on the pavements and roads smeared with blood, cars with their windscreens smashed and elderly couples hand in hand… in death that is. Danny had never experienced this kind of death; ghosts usually preferred to just scare people – or to an extent fire ecto weapons which never really hurt humans, and destroy things such as buildings. This was different, these bodies had been killed individually by something more blood thirsty than a ghost. The boy landed beside a teenage girl who lay on the ground. Her body was thrown carelessly on the road and her arm was at an awkward angle. Her dark hair covered her face and neck. Kneeling beside her, the boy gently moved her hair out of her face – it was Paulina. He always thought girls like her were full time damsels in distress, but also always considered them somewhat invincible. He was wrong. But what scared him more wasn't the fact that the hottest girl in the school was dead, wasn't that he hadn't been there to save these people, but was the bite marks on her neck. She had been bitten; her blood had been drained from her body and consumed by whatever monstrous creature did this. He stood up and stepped back in shock, not able to take his eyes off the corpse before him.

A firm hand rested on his shoulder, Vlad's hand. "W-what did this?" the boy managed to choke out. He looked up to the older half ghost, fear and uncertainly written all over his face. Before he had a chance to reply, Danny suddenly gasped.

"Sam was here… Sam said… Oh my god. SAM!" he shouted worriedly, frantically checking the bodies in search of Sam. His eyes fell upon a small, black object by the gutter with a flashing green light. He quickly picked the object up. It was a cell phone, and it looked like hers. Quickly checking the recent calls list he saw his name, it was definitely Sam's phone. His hands were shaking and his heart felt as though its next beat would break through his chest. Where was she? Was she okay? Was she even still alive?

"I was thinking I'd have to come and find the two famous half ghosts, but it would appear that you found me first." growled a dark voice from behind. Vlad and Danny quickly spun around to see a figure standing in the shadows. "I suppose this just makes things a lot easier." He grinned evilly, stepping into the light. "Allow me to introduce myself, Count Dracula. Oh my, I was expecting a rather more… aged pair of half ghost, though it would appear that you, Phantom, are a mere boy." He growled. The vampire's hair was black and long, tied back with a blood red ribbon. He was wearing an old fashioned suit with a long overcoat. He opened his mouth, huge fangs appearing, and dived for Danny, pinning the boy against the wall and slowly moving his fangs perilously close to his neck. "I'm going to kill you Phantom." The boy struggled to free himself but it was hopeless – the count was too strong. He closed his eyes tightly, preparing for death when all of a sudden Vlad appeared out of no where and punched Dracula in the face catching him off guard and giving the boy enough time to escape the vampire's grip. He edged behind Vlad; he'd fought wolf ghosts, monster ghosts, even evil plants; but never anything like this. This wasn't his usual everyday experience; the devil's children, creatures of the night, bringers of death. He wasn't used to what lurked in the shadows and didn't know what to make of it.

"Seems I under-estimated the two of you, eh? No worries, rest assured that tonight will not be the last time we meet…" He said slyly, before disappearing into the surrounding shadows.

Police sirens could be heard in the distance heading for the murder scene.

"I don't know about you but I'm outta here, they'll point the finger at me if I'm seen around here…" Danny said, backing up and preparing to leave. He didn't want to fly home alone, he didn't feel save. He'd just encountered the nightmare of all nightmares. To think, vampires; Dracula! It was almost as ridiculously crazy as it was horrifyingly scary. What if he was attacked on the way home, even worse what if he was bitten; what if every ounce of his blood was consumed by him… it?

"Good idea, you're parents are probably wondering where we are." Vlad replied, taking flight. The younger half ghost was secretly relieved, he felt safer even with his arch enemy as company right now.


	2. Lies from a dead heart

Danny Phantom – Vampire heart

Chapter two: Lies from a dead heart

"That was a long chat…" Maddie stated suspiciously.

"Indeed, but Daniel feels much better now, right little badger?" Danny didn't answer; he just continued to stare blankly at the floor, most likely thinking about the creature they had just encountered. Vlad nudged him giving him a stare.

"Ouch! What the hell? Err, I mean yeah, I feel loads better thanks to Vlad." He replied over enthusiastically with a cheesy fake smile.

"What did you boys talk about then?" The woman demanded. Why was she so interested?

"Oh just… you know. Where's dad?"

"Working on something in the lab… What were you talking about?" Someone knocked on the door, thank god, a distraction from this difficult conversation. But relief was soon replaced by worry, what if it was… no, it couldn't be. Could it?

"Danny! It's Sam; she wants to talk to you." His mother yelled. He gulped; maybe vampires at the door would have been preferable. He walked towards the door and looked at the ground, trying to avoid eye contact with the girl. He'd shouted at her, he'd over-reacted and probably hurt her feelings.

"Mrs. Fenton, could I and Danny speak in private?" She asked nervously.

"Sure thing honey, I'll just be in the living room with Vlad." She seemed to hurry through the door and they heard it lock behind her, but he didn't pay much attention to it. She was probably just having one of those 'I'm worried about my son' conversations.

"Danny, I came to apologise, I know how stressful the whole hero business can be, and I shouldn't have pushed you." She said with sincerity in her voice.

"How could you possibly have any idea what my life is like?" He remarked angrily, and regretted it almost straight away. Why was he so angry and aggressive all the time?

"I've been beside you ever since you got your ghost powers! Me and Tucker, I care about you Danny, but you already know that." The guilty yet caring look on her face always made the ghost boy forget all his troubles and fears.

"I know that Sam, you're my best friend! But…"

"Maybe I like you more than a friend? Did you ever stop to think that? Oh wait, of course not; you were too damn busy obsessing over that whore Paulina and Valerie Gray, or rather Miss. Ghost-kid-killer!" She spat out, a little irritated and embarrassed.

"Wait Sam, I'm sorry! I guess maybe I like you more than a friend too." Danny said a little awkwardly, blushing slightly. "It's just that ghost hunting is so… and then what happened tonight… Come in, please. I really gotta talk to someone."

"Thanks for listening Sam, you're awesome." He said, seeing her out. After she had left, Danny headed for the living room to see how his mother was, what with her odd behaviour earlier. He also still didn't trust Vlad, despite the fact that he had only that night saved his life. He tried to turn the handle, locked. He didn't have much time to wonder why; there was a knock on the door.

"Your room, now" Sam demanded, grabbing his hand and pulling him up the stairs. She pushed open his bedroom door and locked it behind them. Danny sat on the bed looking clueless as usual, but before he had chance to ask what was going on, Sam kissed him. Surely this was a little early, they weren't even together yet! Then again, they had both wanted each other for so long, was rushing into things really a bad idea? It didn't appear so.

"Sam…" he began, but before he could get his words out she bit into his neck. It wasn't a romantic gesture, it wasn't an action of love, and he could feel fangs burying themselves in his flesh. Thick, red blood trickled down his neck and onto his shirt. Why was Sam doing this? She was… no, she couldn't be!

"Don't worry baby, it'll all be over soon." She whispered seductively in his ear. The intense pain eased, he groaned as his mind slipped into darkness; his body became limp. What he didn't realise is that the girl didn't only drink his blood; she gave him some of hers. She gently laid the unconscious boy into bed, and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead, before leaving.

Her mission was complete… for now.

Vlad awoke with a start. Where was he…? In a living room on a sofa; the Fenton's living room. It all flashed back to him, what had happened the previous night with Maddie; the kiss, followed by the bite. He placed his fingers on his neck praying that it would have all been a nightmare and instantly regretted it. He shuddered with pain as he felt the deep wounds on his neck. He stood up, stretched, before leaving the room and looking around for the woman; wanting answers. He checked all the rooms in the house; up and downstairs. An unpleasant smell lingered around the lab, what had that moron Jack been doing in there last night? He put those thoughts aside whilst he searched. Strange, she was no where to be found. Jack was gone, Maddie was gone, even Jazz wasn't in her room. The only places left to look were Daniel's room and the lab, but surely they wouldn't all be in either of those rooms. He knocked on the teen's door, but received no answer. He eventually decided to just walk in. Relief spread through him as he eyed the sleeping boy. Thank god at least he was still here. His dark hair fell over his face a little and he was incredibly pale, he looked over tired and ill. Just as the man was about to leave, he noticed the bloodstained pillow. Rushing over to Danny, he moved the boys raven black hair away from his neck and found two deep bite marks, similar to his own. Something wasn't right about this whole situation.

The man gently shook Danny's shoulder to wake him up. "Daniel, Daniel?" He said quietly. The boys eyes slowly opened and he sat up groggily. He instantly put his hand on his neck. His weary expression soon turned to one of horror as he felt the deep bite marks from when Sam's razor fangs had penetrated his neck. He opened his mouth to speak, but then closed it again. There was so much to say yet he couldn't speak, where was he to start?

"Where are you're family?" Vlad finally spoke out.

"I haven't seen 'em, I've been out since…" He paused; this man wasn't exactly an alliance and shouldn't be trusted. "Man, my head is killing me." He groaned.

"After what happened to us last night it's not surprising, though you look a lot worse than me." Hold on, 'us'? Danny looked up at him; he also looked a little drained, and had a blood stain on his collar. "Maybe we should go and find your parents." Vlad stood up and offered a hand to the boy, but he wasn't about to accept it. As he rose to his feet, he could feel a dizzy sensation overwhelming him. Luckily, he fell where else but the safety of Vlad's arms. Maybe he just wasn't ready to wake up yet, or maybe it was the blood loss. He sighed, laying the young boy back in bed before having one last search for the rest of the Fenton family. There was only one more place he could think of looking, the laboratory.

He quietly eased the lab door open and peered in. It was impossible to see, the lights were switched off. Why would they be working in the lab with the lights off? He felt around the walls for a light switch, but couldn't find one. About half way down the stairs he tripped over what sounded like a half-empty drink can, and landed with a thud at the bottom of the staircase. This would be so embarrassing if they really were down here. As he reached up to place a comforting hand on his head, he felt a light pull. Switching the lights on, he stood up and proceeded to brush himself down, before turning round. His face fell in horror; the sight he saw would never, ever leave him. He had to get out of here.


	3. Alone

Danny Phantom: Vampire Heart

Chapter three: Alone

Danny awoke to the sun blazing in his eyes. He rolled over and pulled the sheets over his head. For a moment, he forgot everything that had happened, thinking it was just an ordinary morning where he had to get up too early for his liking and go to school; he remembered that he hadn't done his essay and would get in huge trouble with Mr. Lancer, and how he'd probably get attacked by dash again. Then suddenly, the previous night's memories flooded back into his mind, leaving him full of sorrow and uncertainty. Climbing out of bed, he changed his shirt to one that was not bloodstained, and headed downstairs to get something to eat.

As he was walking down the stairs, he noticed a fowl smell polluting the air. The lab door was open and, as he got closer, the smell worsened. The light was on, that was a good sign, which meant that he wouldn't trip over whatever drinks cans his father had left laying there. But as he got to the bottom of the lab stairs, he instantly wished he hadn't. His father and sister's bodies… bitten as he was, only with every ounce of blood needed to live drained from their bodies. He didn't even have a chance to say good bye, he never told his own father his darkest secret of all. They were now just mere rotting corpses, no longer the family he loved, no longer Jack and Jazz; dead, lifeless shells of what used to be. He stepped back in utter shock, he wanted to puke. He stumbled back up the stairs and slammed the lab door behind him and ran to his room, never looking back.

Sitting on his bed, he tried to get his thoughts straight. His mother was a vampire, along with his best friend. His family were dead. He had no one… Valerie lived in a tiny apartment, she had been rich. She had been incredibly rich until the incident with the ghost dog – which she blamed Phantom for – so how could he ever go to her? If she found out his secret, she'd kill him. As for Tucker; it was unfair to burden him anymore than he already had, that and there was no way he'd ever believe that their lifelong best friend had been turned into a creature of the night, even if she did appear rather gothic, this was different. So very different in words so unthinkably terrible. Not forgetting of course, the last person he saw before the room began to spin and he blacked out - where was Vlad? He was now the only one left the boy could truly relate too, and he had gone. The only person who might care about Danny had left him. He was alone in a house with a missing mother, and two dead bodies. He had to leave; he had to leave right now. He could steal money from his parents – it's not like they'll need it again, pretend to be old enough to rent a hotel room. But his mom and dad were smart; they never left cash lying around for just anyone to take at any given moment. Damn, maybe he could threaten to kill the hotel owner as Danny Phantom – yeah, not a bad plan. He could steal a little money from a bank or something, only enough to survive, then he could hire the room as his alter-ego and they would never know where Danny Fenton was, they'd just assume he'd been killed too… but what if a cleaner or someone came and found his human form asleep in bed? It was hopeless, he had nowhere to go. He couldn't go to the authorities; they would probably think that he was some sort of psychopathic maniac that heartlessly murdered his entire family, left his own father and sister to rot whilst burying his own mother somewhere.

He was now lying on his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. Tears burned behind his eyes. He mustn't cry, crying was for the weak and pathetic. He was a hero; he couldn't just cry… it wasn't right. A single tear flooded from his eye and rolled slowly down his face; he wanted to wipe it away, but he found himself unable to move. It was pointless, there was no hope. He was alone in this world. He heard the phone ring, but only partially. Like the sound of a lady wearing clicking high heels in a crowd of many with not so loud footwear, a sound heard but not fully acknowledged or noticed. There was no point in answering the phone. Who could it possibly be that would want him? Maybe it was Dracula; or perhaps his mother; it could even be his lost-love Sam? Three voices, three people whom he didn't want to hear. They were responsible for this, he was responsible; it was responsible for this cruel fate Danny was being forced to suffer.

Eventually the persistent ringing stopped, and the lonely boy slipped into a haunted sleep filled with nothing but monstrous demons and vicious nightmares beyond belief.

Vlad picked up the phone just one last time, although it had been 'one last time' the past fifteen calls he had made; he had to get in touch with Daniel. He couldn't just leave the boy; he'd been foolish to do so in the first place. The concept of everything that happened was just too much; after over twenty years of solitude it was simply too much of a shock. The phone rang and rang and rang, but as the last time, and the time before that, and the time before that, no one answered. The man sighed; he'd have to try again later. Maybe the boy was still asleep? Unless he had lost too much blood and… He mustn't think like this. And anyhow, if they really were vampires, blood loss didn't matter. The only thing that could kill them was a stake through the heart, or maybe not? The television shows and various films had better be right…

Thud, thud, thud… Danny's eyes opened suddenly. He stared around his room, it seemed unfamiliar. The last time he opened his eyes he was in an old fashioned castle. Everything about the place was spooky, gothic furniture and doors, candle-lit rooms, and the shadows. The shadows were the things that really scared him; the unknown spirits which seemed to dance within them, unseen and unheard. No, he hadn't really been there. It had all been a dream; a very realistic one but still just a mere dream. Thud, Thud, Thud… The knocking at the door was becoming louder and louder. He heard a faint shout from the letterbox. "We've had complaints of a ghastly smell around the neighbourhood, and it would seem that this house is the source. If you do not open this door, we will enter by force. I repeat, we will enter by force." The bodies smelt that bad? Surely not, rotting corpses don't usually smell that bad until a few days, and they had not been dead that long. But all this didn't matter, they weren't Jack and Jazz Fenton anymore, they were shells; empty, cold shells. The boy sprung out of bed. If he revealed to anyone that he was still alive, he'd be a suspect. They would think he killed them. He fled the scene as Danny Phantom, invisibly of course.

He flew over the city of Amity Park, looking for somewhere to stay. His plan was simple; find a low-profile place to stay, and then steal just enough money to get by. He found a few motels, most smelly and rat infested with dripping ceilings and damp floors. He became tired of looking, and landed on the roof of a church, hiding in the shadow of a large gargoyle. For some reason, whenever he saw a person he felt hungry, but not hungry in the way one wants human food such cake or chocolate; he wanted their blood. The sun seemed to burn him more than usual. It drained his energy and felt much, much hotter than usual. As he lay there staring at the sky, he heard a scream. Leaning over the edge, he peered down and saw a ghost attacking. He was considering helping the people, until men in white suits appeared, catching the ghost and leaving. Returning to safety behind the stone demon, he gazed at the sky once more, watching the clouds float by. It occurred to him that he probably wouldn't be able to find somewhere to live. The people at his house would have found the bodies by now, and soon he and his mother would become missing persons. He couldn't just walk around as Danny Fenton, people would recognise him, and if a reward was offered they wouldn't have anything at all stopping them from informing the police of his whereabouts. Likewise he couldn't hire a room as a ghost; people were scared of ghosts, especially of Phantom. He decided to have a look around the church; there was nothing better to do. It was just like any other; stained glass windows, crosses, candles and bibles. But what caught his eyes was the closed-off spiralling staircase. Overcome by curiosity he decided to venture up them. He eventually reached the top and found a room. Holding up his hand and making it glow like a candle, he looked around. Dust lay thick upon everything, it was clear that no one had been up here for a long time. There was a hole in the wall, letting a little light creep in. Overall the room looked disgusting, but it would do. He could live here for the time being. If anyone dared come up here, which they probably wouldn't, he'd kill them. Worse, he'd consume them. These dark thoughts… They weren't normal. He was supposed to be a hero, a protector, and instead he had the intention of killing anyone who got in his way.

The boy sighed and looked around, he was proud of his work. The hole in the wall had been made bigger, letting in a little more light, but not much. The rest of the room was lit by stolen church candles on demonic stands. He even had a bed; he had found it in the Church basement, probably unused for years. After stealing a mattress from the local furniture store along with some deep red satin bed sheets, and placing some old decorations from the church around the room, he had managed to establish a very gothic, vampire-like home. It would be rather appealing to Sam. Sam, with all the stress of decorating his new 'home', he had allowed his mind to drift from the ones he loved, the ones who were dead. He automatically lowered his head, when he saw on the floor a wooden crucifix. That wasn't supposed to be there. He bent down to pick it up, but the second his skin came in contact with the object, he instantly pulled his finger away. It was like touching a boiled kettle - it burnt him. This wasn't right, this wasn't right at all. He kicked the cross in frustration sending it toppling down the stairs. What was happening to him?

"How did you fall down those stairs? No one's been up there for a long time." said the voice of a gentle old man, probably the vicar. Danny sat in silence, listening for the man to walk away. 'Please walk away, I don't want to hurt you…' he whispered over and over again to himself. Footsteps were heard, clearly approaching. He was coming. "Dear me, it seems like every time I come up here there are more steps to climb. I'm too old for this."

The man's voice was like that of a kind old grandfather's; soothing, calm and a little croaky. He reached the top of the staircase and gasped. "Dear Lord, what happened…?" He was cut off by Danny appearing behind him, holding the poor man's arm in a really painful position, with his new fangs perilously close to the man's neck.

"If you try to escape, I shall rip your throat out and drink every last ounce of your blood."

"Oh my, please don't!"

"I won't if you shut it! Now, you are going to turn around and walk straight back down those stairs. If you tell a soul about me being here, I will kill you. Mark my words. Do we have an agreement?"

"Yes I promise, I promise. Please can I go?" He stuttered out.

"Promise me in the name of God that you will not!" This seemed like a good idea, he was after all, one of God's loyal followers.

"I swear, in the name of god." He replied, shaking with fear. Danny let him go and flew infront of him.

"I'm sorry I had to do that, but I cannot have the world finding out I am here."

"I'm the Vicar, Pete, and might I ask, Danny Phantom, why you seek refuge in God's home when you are no creature of God's Earth?"

"Because… I'm not the hero anymore. Everyone I love is dead; my family, my true love, dead." Tears began to well up in the half ghost's eyes, but he didn't appear to have noticed. "I am alone; forever, alone. I have no one, no one has me. I feel so very lonely… I would like you to leave now, Pete." He kept his head hung low as the vicar left him, wondering why the ghost boy had just told him what he had, and what on earth it all meant. Danny on the other hand looked like a statue, crouching on the floor and lost in his own messed up train of though. He'd just threatened to kill a holy man; he had fangs; he craved blood… There was clearly no doubt that he was a vampire. He missed his friends, he missed his family… He even missed Vlad. But the one thing he missed most was himself – his own warmth, his pulse. It was like he wasn't Danny, not anymore. He was no longer warm, his flesh, his blood, everything was cold. And then there was his heart, it was dead yet still beating… sort of. His pulse was weak and seemed to be growing weaker. Pure instinct told him that the only way not to starve to death was to consume human blood. And that he would…

As the night drew in, he left the church dressed in all black; he truly looked the vampire role. Everything he was wearing was stolen. But he deserved it, technically. The 'D' on the front of his ghost hunting outfit, it belonged to Danny Phantom, it belonged to him. The store had stolen his design; he was only returning the favour by stealing from them. He wore a necklace with a 'D' hanging from it, along with a black vest top, black jeans and boots. He also had a long, black leather trench coat and a silver hoop in one ear. His once innocent baby blue eyes were now dark and piercing, and his hair was messily spiked up. Now he was ready for his first hunt, and he didn't intend to do it as Phantom, oh no. This was for his human half; it would have to be to truly satisfy him.

Dash Baxter.

His most hated enemy, the boy who bullied him since as far back as he could remember. He was nothing; he had never been anything, nothing but a mere high school boy. Danny… Danny was so much more. Ever since he got his ghost powers he could have taken out the idiot when ever he felt the urge too. After a while of hunting ghosts, he had before physically stronger than Dash and most boys his age, and could have easily taken him out. But he didn't, because back then he was a hero, protector of those he loved… and those he hated. He himself still wasn't sure what he was anymore – maybe he wasn't human. Maybe he wasn't full ghost, but was fully dead, probably more dead that possible. He was sort of alive, or as alive as a vampire could be. His mind was jumbled up, as was his 'life'. But all that didn't matter; he'd feel better after his meal, after his revenge.

Vlad picked up the newspaper, and instantly became worried. He should have gone back to the poor boy.

"Two bodies found in the Fenton's home, Jack Fenton and his daughter Jasmine. Danny Fenton and his mother Maddie missing assumed dead."

He decided there and then, he had to go back.


	4. Revenge tastes sweet

Danny Phantom – Vampire Heart

Chapter Four: Revenge tastes sweet

The trouble with tracking someone via blood scent is that one can only locate a certain person after they know and recognise their unique smell, which one is only able to do after they become a vampire. Unfortunately, Danny hadn't been able to pick up his prey's scent as a human. This however wasn't going to stop him. Oh no, Dash had to pay, and he was going to. He checked the nasty burger, the fast food restaurant that almost everyone from Casper High School hung around with their friends at, and for the first time ever noticed the vile smell that seemed to linger around the joint. He'd never noticed it as a normal kid, not even as a half ghost. But it didn't matter; what the boy was searching for wasn't there. He checked his prey's house, the mall, but he was nowhere to be found. Deciding to go ghost, he flew over the city, maybe he'd find it easier with a birds eye view. And sure enough, he did. Dash stood in an alleyway with Valerie, Kwan and Star talking about dates and football – some things never change. He thought for a moment, then landed on the street by the alley and transformed back to being human… vampire; whatever. He was smart, he knew that they'd make fun of him as he walked past, and two of them would eventually live to regret it. Walking round the corner, he walked slowly past the four awaiting their insults.

"Hey Fen-turd, I heard you went all homicidal maniac and killed your family, the cops haven't found you yet?" Stopping in his tracks, he turned and gave Dash a dark stare.

"Aw, you hurt his feelings." Valerie taunted, laughing at Danny.

"I see you found your way back to the popular circle, Daddy get a new job?"

"You bet he did, at least my parents aren't crazy ghost…" She trailed off, remembering what happened to his family. She knew that Danny hadn't killed them; he was a sweet boy really, right? But popularity was more important than some geek who chose a gothic whore over her.

"Crazy ghost hunters, you mean like you?" He spat, the girl wasn't his main target and he wasn't about to put up with her annoying mouth. He saw her shocked expression, but expected it – her little hobby was her darkest secret, but he couldn't have cared less. "Yeah, I've known about your dumb-ass job ever since you got your first little ghost hunting set."

"Ghost hunting? Bah, I don't care. Fenton, don't you dare talk to her like that if you know what's good for ya!" Dash growled, raising his fists in a fighting stance. Danny mirrored his movements, and beckoned him to attack. After various punches, he stood a few metres away from the bully; head lowered with his jet black hair covering his face. The jock grinned expecting his enemy to be covered in blood and bruises. He raised his head and revealed no marks, not even a scratch; the quarter-back's face fell in horror. How could he not be hurt?

"That's the best you can do? I find you rather pathetic; but before I kill you I think you and your little friends, who might I add will probably be dead in the near future, I must show you something." He showed them his ghost form.

"You… You're Danny Phantom?" Valerie gasped, reaching for the button that activated her armour. She didn't have the chance; Danny knew this trick by now and sent a weak ecto-beam to destroy the device before it could be used. Now they were really in trouble. Dash cowered, and backed away. This fight was wrong.

"This isn't fair, you have super powers!" he stuttered.

"Yeah, I am Phantom. And since when did you care about fairness? Was it when you were throwing me head-first into a garbage can? Or was it all those times you chased or attacked me just because you got lame grades for being stupid? Or maybe, just maybe, it was the hundred other times you hurt me even before I got my powers? Have no fear; I'd rather kill you as Fenton. Consider this punishment for all the times you've laughed at my expense... I take back my previous statement; you should have fear, in fact; you should be petrified." He said darkly, as the rings appeared around his body returning him back to normal. He grinned, showing his sharp fangs, before attacking.

In no time at all Dash was pinned firmly against the cold stone walls, completely beaten. Cuts and bruises adorned his face, his clothes were torn and his hair was a mess; even the odd tooth had fallen out. His foe leaned over his shoulder, "I hope this hurts." He whispered, before digging his fangs into the boy's neck and allowing the blood to flow down his throat. How satisfying it felt. Moments later, Dash's body fell limply to the ground. He was dead. Turning to the rest of the group, Danny made a final threat before leaving.

"If any of you speak of me, I will kill you. No, I will torture you, and then I shall kill you." He then walked up to Valerie, gently brushing her hair back and looking into her eyes, which were flooded with fearful tears. He wiped them away, leaning towards her ear and whispering loud enough so that only she heard what he spoke. She gasped, praying that he wouldn't bite her too.

"You're next." With that he left the three distraught teenagers behind.

Vlad landed on a street and glanced wearily around, after the journey here and looking around for almost three hours, he was beginning to tire. He looked at the floor where he found a 'MISSING' poster for Danny, and a little further along, one for Maddie. Unknown to him was that the one he was searching for was watching him, it's all he could do right now. There was a gentle breeze sending one of the flyers whirling down the road, it stopped at the boy's feet. Picking it up he scanned through it, and found what it said rather… disturbing. 'Emotionally scarred and vulnerable', what was this supposed to mean? Oh well, at least they didn't suspect him of murder… yet. Vlad looked down the street, he wasn't going to find Danny tonight, he was too tired and it was too late. He decided to reside in his old home which he lived in during his short role as the mayor of Amity Park. He hadn't sold it yet, but no one had been in for a fortnight – probably longer.

Danny floated through Vlad's bedroom window, a few seconds later; he left to go back to his little gothic home in the church. It was strange, a vampire living in a church… strange – an understatement, it was completely insane.

'_Dear Vlad, _

_I know you probably don't care, but since you're here I just thought I'd let you know that I am fine and living in a church. Every church needs a vampire, right? Danny. _

_P.S. Thanks for leaving me alone in a house full of corpses. It's nice to know you care.' _

Vlad felt incredibly guilty… He knew that mistake would cost him. But that didn't matter right now; he'd make it up to Daniel once he found him. Amity Park wasn't a very religious place, and there were only two churches, this would make finding the boy a hell of a lot easier… hopefully.

Pete peered at the sleeping young vampire and noticed his change in appearance; he was no longer the ghost boy from earlier, he was just a normal boy. He looked so innocent yet sad at the same time; what if it wasn't Phantom? No, it had to be – everything about him was the same other than his hair colour and the lack of the ghostly glow that always seemed to surround him. Maybe God gave him a second chance at life, gave him a clean slate and allowed him to start again – no, as much as it pained him to think that he might be sinning, it was ridiculous. No one is reborn, no one besides Jesus Christ anyway. No, this must be done. He soon got over the strange factors and quietly spoke a prayer before pouring salt at each exit from the room as quietly as possible. According to the books, this ritual was supposed to stop any creature of the Devil in its tracks – he just hoped it would work. On his way back to the main church where he was to practice his next sermon, the step creaked loudly and he heard Phantom groan. Panicking, he rushed down the rest of the stairs and planned to pretend that he had never even been up there. A little while later, the boy awoke and climbed out of bed. On his way out of the room, he stepped in something – salt? He decided to shrug it off – that dopey Vicar probably spilled it. He continued onward down the stairs lazily and watched the man blabber on about the Bible, and noticed that the church was packed full of people. He never realised God was so popular nowadays. Pete's eyes fell upon Danny, and his face paled.

"And that my friends, is the story of…the story… of…" He stuttered and stopped for a moment, before finishing up and hustling everyone out of the church as fast as possible, before walking over to where thee boy was sitting.

"Hey dude, I was just wondering why there is salt all over my room?" he then yawned lazily. Pete's face fell in horror, how was he here?! That barrier should have stopped him, and it didn't. He must be a powerful demon.

"A spillage, I'll get someone to clean it up right away."

"Ah, no sweat, I'll do it myself. I've already caused you enough trouble." He replied. "Are you feeling okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I…" the main church doors burst open before Pete had time to reply… thank god.

"…Vlad?" the boy muttered under his breath,

"Daniel!" the man yelled upon seeing him.

"I see you two know each other… I'll just be going now…"The vicar nervously stuttered, before slipping away, leaving behind him an awkward silence.


	5. blurred affections

Danny Phantom – Vampire Heart

Chapter Five: Blurred Affections

Should he be afraid or relieved? Questions filled the boy's mind as Vlad approached him. He still didn't entirely trust Vlad – what if he came to attack? He focussed his eyes on the floor, not wanting to make eye contact with his once arch-enemy. However the man knelt down so his face was equal to Danny's so it was impossible for the boy to continue looking away. He was a proud man, not about to beg for forgiveness despite the fact that deep inside that's what he wanted to do. At the same time, he knew he must apologise and let the messed up teenager before him know that he cared…

"Daniel, I… I came to apologise for leaving you in that house… It was a completely selfish and inconsiderate thing to do…" He stuttered, trying his best to sound sorry and not doing a very good job of it even though he really meant it. Luckily for him, the boy could tell that he was being sincere, but could do little other than manage a weak smile.

"So, where exactly have you been staying? I didn't know churches did bed and breakfast…"

"I'll show you. It's nothing great though, in fact, it's pretty lame. Better than nothing I guess."

Danny led Vlad up the creaking wooden staircase and showed him the room. Vlad reached into his coat and pulled something out, it was a newspaper. He handed it to Danny, who saw the headlines and read the story. 'Fenton Family funeral to be publicly held tomorrow' he skimmed the page in search of most information.

"Teenagers claim to have seen Danny Fenton, and members of the public are warned to be cautious as the boy's actions are at this time unpredictable." He read out loud. "I threatened to kill them if they opened their mouths about me… Guess I won't need to order a take-away tonight."

"A funeral already, that's absurd! How can it be a family funeral if only two out of four of them are known dead?"

"How could they choose publicity over their lives?! When I get my hands of those kids they'll be begging to keep their blood!"

"At least now I know that it hasn't only been me craving blood. I'm probably the only one who has actually fed my desires though. But need I remind you of the funeral…"

"I killed the kid that made my school life hell; I should have taken your advice on revenge sooner, it's a great feeling – tastes good too. Who may I ask have you killed?"

"That fat piece of shit that stole my job as mayor. I left his corpse in the town hall – that'll cause quite a stir the next time a meeting is called…" he chuckled, "But seriously, the FUNERAL?" he prompted Danny to answer him.

"I… I'll be there. It's just… Vlad, what's happening? One minute we're enemies, the next minute we're blood-sucking..." he paused, what were they; allies?

"I wish I knew."

"Do you have a suit to wear?"

"I don't need one; I don't intend to be seen…"

"Very well, I've been staying in that house I lived in while I was mayor; there are a lot of rooms in there and after the funeral I'll be going back to Wisconsin and it's the same situation there…" Being nice was incredibly difficult for Vlad – yet it came naturally it also seemed strange and slightly uncomfortable. He'd spent so long as a bitter old man who got amusement from making this kid's life hard, yet now his life was really tough Vlad found himself by the boy's side; strange.

"Thanks Vlad, but I'm alright here for now."

Vlad soon left Danny alone. The sun was setting, soon Danny would hunt. Who should he target next? Valerie Gray… She was a huntress who claimed to love him and almost accepted his heart, good thing she didn't. No sooner has Paulina died, Gray was instantly back in with the popular table sort of speak. She'd just left Danny, Sam and Tucker behind. Ditched them, forgotten them as if they were nothing and still, having been rejected by the bitch, he refused to kill her as Phantom. But now it was different, he was different. She had to make a choice, either the losers or the popular kids – and she chose wrong, in the young vampires eyes anyway. She would suffer in the worst of ways; he'd torment her then kill her. Make her life a living hell; beat her to an inch of her life, so that the torment would go on – no easy way out for Valerie Gray. First things first – Kwan; he was just a stupid little boy who happened to have muscles and play for the school football team – he didn't matter, he could die. That and he was one of Val's only remaining friends, and thus the pain continues, her pain.

Pete walked around the building, blowing each of the candles out and whispering his prayers and thinking about Phantom. Allowing him to stay in the church for a while didn't seem like such a bad idea. After all, Pete had a family; A wife and two daughters along with three beautiful grandchildren, what would they possibly do without him? He pottered around, straightening cushions and bibles, dusting crosses and ornaments, generally just looking after the holy place. The room was dimly lit and eerie, as the doors quietly opened and in walked, or rather floated Danny. He approached the Vicar, "What are you up to?" he asked casually, looking around. This place certainly was scary without proper light. The man looked up to answer him, but was shocked to see a trail of blood beginning at the boy's mouth and slowly trickling down his chin.

"W-what is that…?" he stuttered, not taking his eyes off the blood. He instantly wiped the blood form his mouth and began to form an excuse.

"Well you see I err… got punched in the face and… Screw this. I killed a worthless asshole, I'm a vampire."

It was around that point that the Vicar fainted. "Ah well, saves me a load of explaining."


	6. She's not dead

Danny Phantom – Vampire Heart

Chapter Six: She's not dead

The skies were dull, cloudy and grey; no sunlight could shine through and brighten the day. The day was meant to be grim as today was the day the Fenton family would be buried. The rain fell coldly drenching everyone and everything in its path and adding to the miserable atmosphere. Danny trudged into the cemetery and approached his family's graves, keeping a safe distance between him and the few people mourning. He'd missed the church hearing, he didn't particularly want to hear a bunch of ignorant fools who didn't know them or believe in their ghost research talk about how 'great' the Fenton family WAS and how they would be missed. Hiding his face under a black hood to avoid any form of recognition, he watched as the last words were spoken and the coffins were sunk into the ground… Wait, there were three? He waited until the grave-digger had filled in the holes and the people had left, leaving only him and Vlad. A tear rolled down the man's face as he focussed on the third grave. He hadn't notice Danny appear by his side until he felt a comforting hand on his shoulder. He turned around and saw the face of Phantom floating beside him, also gazing at the third grave. An uneasy silence came over the pair. The boy transformed back to his human state and was knelt on the ground as he ran his fingers over the tombstone belonging to the third person – his mother.

How?

"She… was a vampire. How…" Ideas and thoughts whirled through the boy's head. Sam was a vampire too, was she dead? Was he body left thrown somewhere in the streets, or in a ditch? And what about his mother… how did she get back? Weren't these creatures supposed to turn into dust or something when they died?

"It doesn't matter what she was! She's dead now; the only woman I ever cared about is gone…"

"Of course it matters… Sam could be out there…" he said, racking his brain for clues as to her possible whereabouts

"Your entire family is dead and all you can think about is your dumb ass little girlfriend?!" Vlad snapped, he didn't mean to, it just happened. Years of lust for the woman of his dreams down the drain, he never cared about anyone else like he cared for Maddie. Danny felt his throat tighten and his eyes well up with tears; he did care about his family, he just didn't want to show it; he didn't want to seem weak infront of his once-enemy. He wanted to scream his heart out, he wanted to use his ghostly wail and destroy everything, he wanted to crawl into a deep dark hole and never come out ever again. But heck, the man could still be his enemy, and a moment of weakness could mean…

"I hate you…" he managed to choke out, before running away and disappearing down the streets. He never looked back; he wanted to find Samantha – alive. He wanted his family back, but most of all, he wanted himself back. He longed for his own scent, the feel life… neither of which he had. He began his long, tiring search.

He was wrong to yell at Daniel. Vlad thought to himself for a while; almost everyone the boy loved was gone, dead, rotting in the ground. His mother, his father, his sister, and maybe even the girl he'd loved for so long. Vlad had yelled at the poor boy; the grief-stricken, un-loved, lonely, broken boy. Danny was the only thing left of Maddie, and she would have wanted the man to take care of her son, especially if he knew his - their secret. Vlad must protect Danny, no matter what. He must be there for Daniel… so why wasn't he?

"I'm so sorry Maddie… I can't be a father, I can't do it. I've already failed you; I'll fail him too…" Vlad whispered, closing his eyes tightly and sobbing freely. He didn't have to put on a brave face, not now Daniel wasn't there.

"No Vlad, no you won't. My son needs someone to love him, that's all he needs; love. Not power, not strength, just love." said the calm, gentle voice of his college sweet-heart. He didn't want to open his eyes, they'd show the truth – that she wasn't really there, she was in his head, she wasn't real – that all it she would be was a very vivid hallucination.

"You can't be real; I know you aren't really there." Vlad answered, becoming even more distressed than before.

"It doesn't matter, what matters is making the right decision, and the right decision is to save my son. If he finds Sam, she won't be who she was, she won't remember, she doesn't remember who she, he or anyone is. Go Vlad, go and find him. Please, if not for me; then for yourself." She said soothingly, placing a soft kiss on the man's cheek. He opened his eyes widely and looked around, to see his love walk out of the graveyard gates and slowly disappear. She was showing him the way to go. The man ran out of the cemetery, transforming into Plasmius and taking to the skies. The voice was right, real or unreal, truth or deceit, finding Daniel was the right thing to do.

Soon after Vlad had left, Maddie's spirit visibly stood by the graveyard gates and sighed. "I love you Vlad." Before fading away; this time forever.

After running down various streets, Danny crouched in an alleyway behind a few trashcans so that no one could fund him. He gasped for hair as tears forced themselves out of the boy's eyes. It all happened so fast… too fast. He pulled his legs towards himself and rocked to and fro slightly as an attempt to calm himself down. He had even started to think that Vlad actually cared, his own enemy. He should have known, all Vlad cared about was himself, his money and his power. He closed his eyes tightly trying to make the tears go away, "What did I do to deserve this?" he whispered to himself.

"You lived." The voice was familiar, it was Sam's. Only she sounded colder. Danny looked up and saw Sam, and instantly stood up, a relieved smile on his face. Said smile left however when the girl held up a sharp knife-like object; a stake.

"Die vampire!" she screeched, diving towards him. He dodged just in time, jumping and balancing impossibly on the fence.

"Sam, what are you doing?"

"My job" She replied fiercely, pulling out a gun. It wasn't just an ordinary one; it had arrows instead of bullets. Arrows that had some form of red substance on the tip – blood. But it wasn't the sweet tempting smell that Danny was used to, oh no. It smelled bitter and vile. She began firing at him with brilliant accuracy, and after narrowly missing a few times, successfully hit the boy in the throat. Wincing in pain, he yanked the arrow out and first looked at it, then at her. His vision began to blur and his muscles felt heavy.

"W-what…"

"Dead mans blood, makes you weak." She taunted in a dark voice, the voice she had used right before she bit Danny. "In moments you'll be unconscious. But I won't let you live that long!" She yelled, pulling out the stake and slowly nearing him, seemably taking her time just to lengthen his suffering. He tried to escape, but stumbled to his knees. He could barely even stand up, running was out of the question and there was no way he had enough energy to go ghost. Sam pushed him to the ground and pinned him down, preparing to plunge the weapon into his heart, but something was stopping her – unbeknown to Danny what it was. Suddenly a red blast hit her, sending her a few feet back. Vlad landed beside Danny and his angry expression turned into a worried one upon seeing the state the kid was in.

"Daniel, What did she do to you?!" he yelled, holding the boy tightly in his arms. The boy's eyes were filled with tears, and it wasn't long before one slid down his face. Soon after, he passed out. Vlad felt him go limp in his arms, and felt deeply guilty. This was the second time he'd turned his back on Daniel and something bad had happened.

"Well, well; it would seem my little friend has a guardian angel! I must say, I've never seem a vampire do that before" Sam spluttered, struggling up from the mass of Vlad's blast.

"I don't have time for this." The man groaned, as he took flight and left the self-proclaimed vampire slayer standing alone.

"I'll get you!" she screamed, watching the two become mere dots in the sky, before they went out of sight completely. She let out a loud growl out of pure frustration at losing her prey, before lowering her weapons and walking down the street. Her pace quickened as the sun began showing signs of rising. For some reason, she was afraid to be outside in the sunlight. She reached her old home and pulled a key out from her pocket, and unlocked the door. Walking in she casually planted the keys on the side table and stepped into her living room, where her parents greeted her.

It would appear that Sam wasn't the only person gifted with a new life…

"Rough night, ay Sammy?" her mother asked her.

"Got that right, damn vampires escaped. But there was something strange about the first one… he was a teenage boy – or at least looked like one. But the strange thing was, I seemed to recognise him." Both her parents gave her a strange look. One of those 'what are you talking about, are you sure you aren't crazy?' looks.

"I'm serious; I've seen him in my dreams… It's like I know him. Something about that kid was unearthly, and not in a demonic evil creature of the night sort of way, it was somehow deeper than that." Her voice had become a whisper as she became lost in her own thoughts, who was this boy?

"I think you need to rest dear. I and your father have some things to discuss, so if you don't mind…"

"I get the message, good night Mom, Dad." She yawned, heading upstairs. Her parents waited till they heard her bedroom door close and her light click off before they began to speak.

"She's remembering… He said that she'd never remember." Pamela Manson, her mother whispered hoarsely to her husband.

"Striking deals with devils was always a bad idea, my sweet. Right now she just thinks he's just another vampire that's messing with her head, and hopefully that's how it will stay." Jeremy replied. The couple did not notice the man appear behind them.

"Do I hear you doubting my words? One little imperfection and you turn your backs on me, you betray me?!" Dracula bellowed darkly. His long, dark hair fell partially over his face, but his blood-thirsty red eyes still showed through.

"N-no, it's not like that!" The woman nervously stuttered.

"It's too late for you, there's no turning back to God now, and you'll never be taken back! You're lives are as un-natural as mine! Mark my words Manson, Mrs. Manson; If either of you even consider betraying me, I'll drag you both and your precious little daughter to hell and watch you suffer and burn. Do I make myself clear?" He said darkly, and with that, the lights flickered and the ruler of vampires faded away, leaving behind a very scared couple.

Meanwhile, Sam lay unaware of her parents' fears in her bed, dreaming away. It was the boy, the strange, mysterious vampire boy from before. Somehow, she felt guilty for hitting him, like she shouldn't have, like it was wrong of her to do so. It lingered in the back of her mind as she slept peacefully. They were not fighting, they were outside school – in the sun, a little younger than they were now, just casually standing around; casually strolling around in the SUN LIGHT. Tucker was there too, tapping away at his PDA. Suddenly, a strange creature appeared in the middle of the room. The boy opened a locker and jumped into it, and when it re-opened, in his place was a white-haired, glowing-green-eyed boy; a ghost boy. He looked the same – same bone structure, same muscle tone, everything beside the eye, hair, outfit and strange glow was the same. In moments, she had awoken. She sat in her bed, staring blankly ahead of her.

"Danny… Danny Fenton. Danny Phantom… Who are you?" She whispered, before casually climbing out of bed and strolling to her window, gently opening it and leaning out, gazing at the still-sleeping city. The sun slowly rose from beyond the hills, shining on Sam. She suddenly realised that her fear it was pointless – it didn't hurt her, not one bit. It actually felt quite nice. Leaning against the window pane and breathing in the fresh morning air, she whispered to herself again.

"Daniel Fenton… who are you?"

Vlad placed the boy down gently on the sofa, being extra careful as not to make a harsh mistake and wake him from his slumber. He moved Danny's crow-black hair from his neck; and looked at the injury inflicted by the arrow, instantly wishing he hadn't. It looked deep and didn't seem to be in any rush to heal. He stood up and went into the kitchen, returning with a first aid kit. After cleaning the wound, he looked once again at the boy. He was extremely pale and seemed to have a bit of a fever. He returned the first aid kit and returned to Daniel's side, gently placing a cold, damp flannel on the boy's head in an attempt to ease the fever and made him feel better. Not that Danny knew he was ill, in actual fact, he was quite the opposite. It was that vampire huntress… he hadn't believed it was Sam, he just thought it was some monster using her body, but no. It was Sam, in his dream. They were sat alone in the moonlight. It shone passionately down from the magical starry sky upon the vampire couple as they sat together in the darkness. They sat in silence, no words needed to be spoken. In a few hours the sun would rise and they would have to leave and take cover in the shadows and sleep, but right now all that mattered was cherishing the time they had for their dark, death-marked love. Then he woke up. 'Just a dream' he thought, it could never be real, or could it? He couldn't hurt Sam, he couldn't allow himself to do so, not even when she was about to kill him. Why? He slowly opened his eyes to find himself in Vlad Master's mansion, which he recognised instantly. He tried to get up, but felt a sharp pain on his neck. He automatically reached up and gingerly touched it, and found that someone had bandaged it up. It wasn't long before he noticed Vlad sleeping on a chair besides him. He must have done this; rescued him from his killer girlfriend, brought him to safety and bandaged him up. He's the only one who deep down really does care, and who has also just lost someone he loved with all his heart, and he was the one who also needed looking after, Vlad needed love too.

"Samantha Manson, what happened to you?"


	7. Truth in a dream?

Danny Phantom: Vampire Heart

Chapter seven: Truth in a dream

She was there, in that fiery cocoon. Whispering, pleading to Danny. Why couldn't he move, why couldn't he help her, and what did she want? The room wasn't hot or cold, it was neither. He shivered yet seemed to be sweating, perhaps it was both rather than neither, or perhaps it was just a dead place. A dead place with two dead souls screaming out to the universe yet unheard by the many ears that walked the Earth. "Danny… Danny… Free me…" She quietly spoke as the dancing flames grew higher and higher, hotter and hotter. "Danny… DANNY! HELP ME! SAVE ME!" she began screaming, demanding "You don't have to do this! DANNY!" He couldn't move nor could he speak. His muscles refused to obey him and his voice was trapped within him. Suddenly, the fire seemed to explode, leaving nothing but darkness behind. An echo was heard, "The holy child will die, and darkness shall be reborn..." then silence. Nothingness, until he awoke.

"S-Sam…" He groaned, sitting up and holding his head. Must be the after effects of whatever she had shot at him, poisoned him with. He was no longer by Vlad in the living room; no… he was in a different room. Dimly lit and dark, but just light enough for Danny to be able to make out his surroundings. He was in a bed, a soft warm bed. The room was a nice temperature making his current situation a little more soothing. Beside the bed was a lamp, but he didn't need to turn it on, he could see the sunlight seeping through the curtains. Raising to his feet he unsteadily moved towards the window, pulling open the curtains and, after taking a quick glance at the scenery, turned to inspect the room. Nothing was especially interesting; just a bed and a side-table along with a glass of water and beside it a couple of painkillers. There was a chair with his coat draped over the back and his shoes below it, along with a pile of his clothes. He saw a reflection of himself in the mirror, all he was wearing was the black vest top and his trousers. "Vlad…" he spoke aloud. This man had certainly taken good care of the boy, and had always wanted a half-ghost son, so what reason would he have for blowing it? Danny had always in truth wanted a father who cared about him, and not just his human half; a father who knew what he was going through because they had in fact gone through it too; a father who he knew wouldn't kill him just because of his ghost half, a father like Vlad. Danny wasn't about to just discard his family and forget they ever existed, he just couldn't do that, it wasn't right. Although he had always been afraid of becoming a victim of their hatred towards any and all ghosts, he still loved them… But maybe trusting his new 'guardian' would be better, for the time being anyway. Then again, on the other hand he always swore that he would never join Vlad, after all this man is… or was his enemy.

"But the Vlad from the future regretted being evil." said a soft, familiar voice.

"…Mom?" Danny whispered, looking teary-eyed at the woman before him.

"Hush, sweetie," she replied, eying her son. "How are you coping?" … silence… "Not in a talkative mood are we? That's fine honey. Let's get to the real reason I'm here. Clockwork sent me, and has told me everything; and it's my job to tell you. Samantha was granted back her life by God and new false-memories under strict terms that she doesn't interfere with his plans for you – strict terms that she doesn't know about, not yet anyway, as I speak she is being visited by in effect, an Angel. She thinks she's been a vampire hunter her entire life, but if I'm not mistaken, part of her still remembers you. You musn't kill her, even if it's your own undoing..."

"Onto Vlad; you need to trust him. I know this might sound a tad ridiculous to you right now, but you and he are alike in more ways than you think. You're both half-ghost hybrids, you've both lost everyone you ever cared about, you're both lonely. Trust me; he's on your side." She stopped talking, and raised a finger, wiping away a stray tear that was falling down Danny's cheeks. Suddenly, a dark shadow loomed behind Maddie, and embraced her and the entire room. What had she been talking about, and what the hell was happening? The only sound that could be heard was Danny's unsteady breathing, no longer than a moment later came a bloodcurdling scream.

Danny woke up.

Sitting up, he gasped, finding himself on a hard, wooden floor. He was outside, on some sort of decking. Slowly standing up he observed his surroundings. Trees, a wooden house, and in the far away distance was Vlad's mansion. It all seemed quite peaceful, until a boy walked through Danny and into the house. Wasting no time to question what had just happened, he followed the boy through the door. The house was nice and cosy inside; crackling fire, the welcoming scent of something cooking, everything seemed nice - that is everything but the man sitting on the rocking-chair infront of the fire, reading a newspaper and smoking his pipe.

"Vladimir! What happened to your face?!" he growled. Danny edged towards the boy, and for the first time saw his face. Down one side was a huge, purple bruise. It wasn't a new wound however; it looked like it had been there for at least a day or so. Despite the obvious facial wound, the resemblance to Vlad was unquestionable – this had to be a younger version of him… or something like that.

"Father, you did this last night, remember?" he said quietly, nervously twiddling his thumbs.

"HOW DARE YOU ACCUSE ME OF SUCH A THING!" the man bellowed, standing up and grabbing Vlad firmly by the arm, dragging him up the stairs. "You little rat. Worthless rodent, your no son of mine…" the insults went on, and as Danny was about to follow, he couldn't help but notice the countless empty bottles of cider beside the old man's chair. He pursued them up the stairs and to a tall doorway. With his spare hand, the man reached into his pocket and pulled out a rusty iron key. After unlocking the door, he threw Vlad in with a lot of force and locked the door behind him. He walked past Danny mumbling hateful things about his son, and reeking of alcohol. Danny watched him walk down the stairs, before he tried to get in the room, but it was no use. The door was locked and for some reason he couldn't make his ghost powers work. He placed an ear on the door, listening quietly for Vlad, and heard nothing but quiet whimpering.

Danny woke up… again.

He was back next to Vlad, who was placing a told flannel on the boy's head. "About time you woke up, you have a bad fever…"

"W-what…?" This time he was defiantly awake, the pain was back as well as the sick feeling and the intense pain on his neck. There was a woman picking up a brief case and walking towards Vlad, she had grey greasy hair scraped back into a tight ponytail, she looked around sixty and to say the least, looked like she'd lead a long, hard life. She handed him a bottle of pills.

"Thank you." The man said, receiving but a murmur for a reply. With that, she left, leaving Vlad and Danny alone.

"How are you feeling? You look dreadful."

"I feel it..."

"Well… I'm going to sleep for a while since I've been up all night; the doctor left you some painkillers and there's a glass of water on the table. If you need anything – feel free to annoy the butler." He said, walking towards the door.

"Vlad, why are you doing all this for me?"

"Because Daniel…. You're all I have left of Maddie."

--------

Danny stood up, feeling a little tipsy but soon got his balance. Looking around he saw his jacket draped over the edge of the sofa and his shoes on the floor. It was almost dawn and the sun would rise soon, so if he wanted to go out, he had to do it sooner rather than later. Wasting no time, he put his shoes on and tried to leave the mansion. Surprisingly enough, the door was unlocked. Stepping out he drew a breath of fresh air, before looking into the distance, and sure enough, he saw a small, wooden house. In a flash of light, he had transformed into Danny Phantom and was on his way down to the house.

What he found was more or less what he had been expecting. The place was run, he observed the house. It was just as it was in the dream… the cider bottles were still there, the furniture, everything. The only difference was the thick layer of dust and the obvious negligence of the house. He transformed back, his ghost form seemed to be using a lot of energy – energy he didn't have much of. Up the stairs, along the corridor, he found the door he was searching for. On the floor infront of the door was the iron key, even rustier than he had remembered it. Picking it up, he slowly turned the key and opened the door. It creaked awfully as he walked in. The room was plain and cream, probably once yellow. There was a mattress in the corner, Danny walked over and opened the window to let in a little light, and was horrified when he turned around.

The wall was covered in blood stains and cracks, along with carvings and drawings of scary little monsters. What stood out most was the plea which looked like it was carved by a nail or something; 'Help me', beside a handprint made from blood. Wondering up to the print, Danny slowly placed his hand upon it. A sort of electric shock bolted through his body, and when he opened his eyes, he saw the teenage Vlad being pushed into the room, only this time, the old man from before followed him.

"You need to be taught a lesson you do, savage boy!" he yelled and lashed out at Vlad, hitting him square in the face so hard that he fell stumbled back. He quickly scrambled up and edged to the back of the room, quivering in fright from the abusive man before him. "You're such a coward, you disgust me!" he growled, slowly getting closer and closer to the boy. "Goodnight kid." He growled, before raising his fist.

"NO!" Danny yelled, jumping between the man and Vlad. "Stay away from him!" He wasn't quite aware of what had come over him, but seeing that defenceless boy get tortured by his drunken excuse of a father. The man looked down into Danny's eyes, before grabbing his own side, wincing in pain and gasping for air. From all the commotion, a woman came rushing upstairs.

"Mr. Masters?" She said, peering around the door, "Good Lord, what's happening to him? I think he's having a heart attack, go call a doctor Vladimir, quick!" She screamed. She was wearing a black maid's dress, with a white apron – which was now smeared with the blood which the man was coughing up.

The boy didn't move. He just stood there watching his father suffer, and by the looks of it didn't care.

Then he stopped coughing up blood, he stopped groaning in pain, the light left his eyes and he was gone.

Vlad walked down the stairs of his mansion to check on Danny.

"Daniel?" He said, looking around only to see that the boy was gone. He sighed loudly. "I know he wouldn't stay…" But as he turned to leave the room, he noticed Danny's coat was still there; he would never have left it behind.

Danny remained standing still as a statue with his hand firmly against the wall as though stuck in that position and he did not notice the strange, dark figure materialise beside him.

"How strange; you clearly have evil in you as I can feel for myself that it practically reeks from you; yet you still feel emotion beyond lust and desire… You feel compassion and love, hate and anger, its all there. Just like Vladimir…" He was stopped by a sudden crash; Vlad shattered the window as he flew through it. "…speak of the devil. I was just speaking to… or at Daniel here; he can't hear us. However, I'm overwhelmed by curiosity, by how two pathetic creatures such as your selves, who are neither fully human nor ghost, can hold onto their emotions and more importantly free will. Normally my children obey my every wish."

"What have you done to him?"

"Me? Nothing; He's looking into your past, not mine." Dracula said smugly. Vlad returned his focus to Danny, who remained trance-like for just a moment, before suddenly stumbling back. breathing heavily he surveyed his aching hand, to find that it was covered in blood, yet there was no injury.

"m-my hands, they're stained with blood..." he looked up at the older half ghost, "You're father's blood..."

"That's right Daniel, you're a murderer, and don't ever forget it." Vlad's face was one of utter confusion. What were thye talking about? What did his heartless father have to do with anything at all?

"SHUT UP! This is all your fault!" The boy screamed, attacking the Count, without his ghost powers. Punch after punch was miss after miss, until Dracula grabbed his throat firmly.

"Danny... Danny... Why must you rebel against me? Can't you see how evil the humans are, how selfish each one is? We, like ghosts, are hunted by humans... the age of the vampire came and passed, to which I lost my first love..." Dracula whispered, loosening his grip on the boy's neck, bearing a sorrowful frown. "Damn God, he shall not win this time, so here is the deal, boy, there is a girl. This girl is a messenger of God and is under the inflluence that I brought her back from the grave, she must be killed... before she kills us."

"Who is this girl?"  
"You know who, you dream of her."

Dracula dissapeared.


	8. The Journal

Danny Phantom: Vampire Heart

Chapter seven: The journal

Vlad poked his head around Danny's bedroom door. The boy was sitting at his desk, face down and sleeping soundly still with his lamp on and a pen loosely held in his hands. He took a sheet from the bed and placed it over him, taking the pen out of his hand and noticing the page he was writing on. Sitting on the chair besides the sleeping boy, and began reading...

"So last night Sam attacked me... right after my family's funeral. I was shocked as hell - I mean jesus christ, one minute we're making out and the next she's trying to kill me. I woke up at Vlad's place. I always thought he was a heartless sag of shit, but it seems there's more to him than that. He saved my life - again-, cleaned and bandaged my wounds and stayed by my side. I thought that maybe it was just another scheme to gain my trust so he can betray me later and make me join him and such, but he has genuine concern in his voice... I can tell somehow that he cares. I still have doubts...

I had a dream too... Sam was screaming at me to help her, telling me that I 'Didn't need to do this'... I thought I was awake but my mom was there and she told me about God erasing Sam's memory and in a way employing her... to wipe out vampires. I had another dream, about Vlad... his old house. When I woke up I went there, and touched a blood hand print... It was like I was there, in Vlad's house when he was young except no one could see me. His father was drunk and abusive, and shoved him in his room. Right as he was about to punch Vlad, the punch that would hurt the most... I stood between them. I didn't even think about it, I just didn't want to see the kid get hurt more. I stared him in the eye, and he seemed to see me. Then he had a heart attack and died. Part of me thinks that I killed him... I can't be sure, judging by the amount of alcohol the man consumed it was inevitable that he would die because of it someday... But man, poor Vlad. After that Dracula was there... he retold me what mom had, only he confirmed it... I have to kill Sam. I have to kill my only love... How can I do that?

The fly home was a silent one... I probably made im worried sick...

note to self: apologise to Vlad."

The man smiled, not an evil grin or a 'I have a cunning plot' face, just a genuine smile. He stood up and wrapped the sheet properly around Danny to make him more comfortable, and but his hand on the boy's shoulder as a way of saying goodnight. "Thanks...Dad..." he whispered in his sleep. Suddenly, Vlad was filled with deep sadness. He always thought that the time Daniel called him 'father' it would make him the happiest man on Earth; yet it just reminded him of the grief and loss the boy was suffering. Part of him knew that he probably would rather have Jack here tucking him in rather than Vlad, and that he probably thought in his distant sleep that it was his real Father and not someone who less than a week or so ago was considered as an enemy, perhaps still was.

Walking downstairs, he heard a rattle coming from the kitchen. Strange, at this hour Danny and himself were the only people in the house. Continoing on to the kitchen, he found who else but Skulker rumaging through the liquor cabinet. "Skulker, what are you doing here?" he sighed.

"Getting a drink. Woah, what's up with you boss?"

"Ugh. Get me a drink too."  
"What do you fancy?"   
"Anything strong... I'll be in the living room." 

Moments later, skulker joined Vlad in the living room, both sitting lazily on the sofa drinking red wine from expensive looking glasses.

"Caring for teenagers is supposed to be hard to begin with, and Daniel's a grieving wreck with ghost powers, hes part vampire and les we forget is being stalked by Dracula himself. He's just found out that he's supposed to kill his girlfriend and the second I take my eyes off him he's in trouble again!"  
"I heard his family and that goth chick were all dead, but I swore I heard the Count talking about her. Apparently he's made her parents think that he brought her back to life, so that they don't get any smart ideas. He's got it all worked out, make Sam and her parents think that the ghost child is bad news, so that they don't get close again which would stop them killing each other. Quite sly yet cunning." Vlad remained speechless for a moment, stunned by what he just found out.

"Daniel said he saw his mother in his dream, and she told him that God erased the goth girl's memories, Dracula told him the same. I sound crazy, I don't know what to believe now."

"Why dont you just let me kill the whelp?"

"...lay a finger on him and it'll be the last thing you ever do."

"Ofcourse it will, Cause I'll waste him." They both turned around to see an unhappy Danny standing in the doorway. "Tell me, how exactly do you know this? Wait, don't tell me, you probably stalked him." the room remained silent, how much of that conversation had the boy head? "So Vlad, I bet you enjoyed reading my journal huh?"   
"I..."

"DON'T LIE TO ME! How else would you know all those things? HOW WOULD YOU KNOW?!"

"I..."  
"And then I come down here and find who else but Skulker, the guy who hunts me for fun, drinking with you and talking about ME! VLAD, IS THE ONLY REASON I'M HERE BECAUSE OF MY MOM? WELL, IS IT?!"

"I..."

"Fine. I'll go to Tucker's place; and if that don't work out, I'll live in my dead house - anywhere's better than this joint!" he yelled, transforming and flying straight out of the window, smashing it as he went - probably just to irritate Vlad.

"See what I mean? And I can't just leave him out there..."

----------

Tucker sat fiddling with his PDA, lately his life had been less than disirable. Since Danny, his best friend had dissapeared; Right after his families deaths, he just left without a trace. As for Sam, she didn't even seem to remember him, and after a while of trying to persuade her, he gave up. Friendless, lonely, he didn't even bother going to school anymore. Suprised he was when he turned around and saw Danny's face. "WHA?! DANNY? OH MY GOD WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?" he yelled, hugging his best friend like crazy.

"At Vlads..." The smell of blood... He suddenly remembered how hungry he was, able to feel Tuck's every heartbeat, every pulse - which made it a hundred times worse. "Long story..." a bead of sweat rolled down his face, the temptation was too great; he must not succumb to it.

"Man, are you alright? You look kinda washed out."

"Huh? Oh yeah... I'm fine..." he insisted. "I just need a place to crash..."  
"Say no more, you can stay in the guest bedroom; We can have a sleep over, play video games!" He was extremely enthusiastic - who wouldn't be? Especially when their best friend had just appeared out of nowhere. He spun around, "Hey Danny. what's up with Sam, it's like - D-Danny... your...teeth...!" he stuttered stumbling backward a few steps. Reaching upto his mouth, he felt his own teeth, to find sharp fangs. He couldn't control himself any longer.

"I... I'm sorry, Tuck." He said, dissolving into the air and suddenly re-appearing right behind Tucker, before sinking his teeth into him. Before he knew what he was doing, Tucker lay bleeding in his arms. "Oh my god... What have I done... TUCKER!" he yelled, holding his friend tightly. "I'm so sorry; I couldn't help it! Don't die, please don't die... You're the only real friend I have left... TUCKER!!!"

"It's... not your fault... Danny..." He whispered, before slipping into eternal darkness.

Tucker Foley was dead... He was going to stay that way forever.

----------

Skulker scowered the city of Amity Park in search of the ghost child, due to strict orders. He checked the old home, nothing. The house was dusty and empty, it reeked of death and decay. He then checked Sam's house, but again found nothing. beginning to loose hope, he flew out of the house and looked around one last time, when his eyes fell upon the faint, glowing form sitting on the Foley's roof. Knees pulled close to his chest, head buried in his arms. "Phantom?" The robotic ghost asked, knowing full well that it was him; just unsure what he should say.

"I killed him..." he stuttered, looking up at Skulker with teary eyes, shaking slightly from both fear and the icy temperature. "I killed my best friend... How could I do that?" he questioned, wiping the blood from his mouth. Tucker's blood. He stood up and walked towards the edge of the building, unaffected by the other ghosts presence. "Why are you here?" He said in a cold, empty voice.

"Plasmius sent me to make sure you didn't do anything stupid, and that you went home now. I figured that you can't do anything stupid if your unconscious!" he bellowed, aiming a punch for the boy's face. Danny quickly jumped, and landed ontop of Skulker's metal arm.

"And where exactly is home you stupid bucket of bolts!" he yelled, kicking him square in the face. "I'll show you stupid, I'll show you freakin' stupid. Flying miles into the air and cut out my ghost powers - try telling that to your boss!" He yelled, flying up high into the air. The thought never really crossed his mind before; he had everything - a loving family, great friends, super powers - the ones he loved were gone, he had no one left to protect. If he transformed human even now, it would end it all for him. No more pain, no more dragging himself through every day and wishing it was over before it began... He did it. Replacing his messy white hair was raven black, his green eyes replaced by blue, and he began plummeting towards the Earth. He closed his eyes so that he couldn't see how far he was from the ground, therefore wouldn't be tempted tp stop himself before impact. Suddenly; pain. Wasn't this supposed to be more or less painless? Opening his eyes he saw Skulker, he'd caught him and was now carrying him under one arm. "Let go of me you freak!" he yelled, trying to escape his grip, but it was no use... as a human anyway. Changing back into Phantom, he tried to phase out of the ghost's grip, but it was no use. He was just too strong.

"Afraid not whelp, I promised Plasmius I'd take you back in one piece and that's what I intend to do." He said sternly, flying towards Wisconsin.

"Let go!" Danny yelled and struggled, but to no avail. "Fine. might as well enjoy the free ride right?" he moaned under his breath, giving skulker an evil glare. Before, Tucker would have hacked into his systems and freed Danny in no time... but now that wouldn't happen, never again. Danny had ended the life of his best friend, and wasn't even aware of him doing so until it was too late. He managed to turn his head enough to be able to see the ambulance outside of Tuck's house, the light go off in his bedroom, a bedroom that would be forever unoccupied by his best friend.

His life was so screwed up.

A lone tear trickled down his face, and it didn't go unnoticed.

"What's wrong with your face?"  
"Nothing."

"Are those tears?" he asked out of genuine curiosity, but didn't allow much time for a response - like Danny was going to give one anyway. "I am incapable of shedding tears, I've been told it resembles pain."

"Shut up Skulker."


End file.
